One of the pieces of advice I have offered on this page is to leave your past in the past. To grow from your mistakes and past experiences but to never dwell on them. I still stand by this, however, I want to dedicate this post to looking back and appreciating just how far you’ve come in life. 

 The other day while I was doing my cardio at the gym I randomly got to thinking about just how much I have grown and changed over the past few years. Mainly in the last two years more specifically. Sure I am working a much better job now, doing my best to eat right and exercise, but I don’t even mean in this way. What I really was thinking about is my mindset. I have become such a positive person in these last two years that it is absolutely amazing to me. The way I handle stress is so much healthier now as well and it is so amazing to look back at who I was just a few short years ago and see how different that is from today. 

I personally think a huge part of that sort of growth is the people you surround yourself with. If you have someone in your life that is always down on life and seeing the negative aspects in the world, naturally you will pick up these thoughts and behaviors as well. I have noticed over the years a person tends to reflect the ones they spend their time with. I think this was a huge part of my evolution over these past two years. Distancing myself from negative people in my life and embracing the ones who have a positive impact on me. If you don’t like the way a certain person makes you feel then there is really no reason to keep associating with them. I can think of one person in particular that I haven’t spoken to in months who was (and probably still is) as negative as they come, and it is almost like a weight has been lifted. Personal growth comes a lot from the support in your life. 

Look back on your past and think about the person you were just a few short years ago. It was crazy to me to realize just how different that girl is from the one I am now. I embrace life and the challenges that come with it. If something goes wrong, sure it's tough and okay to be upset for a while, but I get up, dry my tears, and just keep looking ahead. When I was first job searching out of college back in 2014 I was so stressed out that I couldn't seem to find a job. What they don’t tell you is that a lot of the time, when you are right out of college with a degree but no job experience, it is a rough road. Now, that does not go for everyone of course. I was becoming more stressed, scared, and frustrated with every job application I filled out with no response. I ended up getting a job because my mother’s office needed help and figured it would give me the experience everyone wanted in a job candidate. This past summer when I once again found myself on the job market I was a much calmer person. I went on quite a few job interviews with no call backs. I had experience now but was still finding myself getting progressively frustrated. But I moved forward. Sure there were some mini breakdowns about jobs I thought were great fits that I didn’t get called back for, but I got up the next morning and just kept sending my resume out for new positions. I was stressed and frustrated of course, but was handling it a lot better than the first time. I stayed positive and moved forward and because of that I ended up with a better job than I could have possibly imagined. I work for two great bosses that treat me so well and are so appreciative of me. They help me out when I need it since they are aware I am still new and certain things I am still learning, but they also know I am very capable as well. I honestly could not have asked to be hired by two better people. 

My point in bringing all this up is that since my mindset changed I was able to snag a position I truly love and am well fitted for. If I was still the shy, negative person I was when I was originally looking work, I don't think I would have been able to succeed as well at this job as I am, let alone get through the job interview well enough to be offered the position. I look back on myself two years ago and am just so thankful I was able to turn myself around and start seeing the light in life instead of the dark. 

Looking to the past to reflect and appreciate the growth in yourself is a much better thing than dwelling on what could have been. I sound like a broken record here but leaving all the negative things that have happened to you in your past and using them for growth is the perfect way to make lemonade from the lemons life gives you. Realize just how far you have come as a person when you look back in that rear view mirror and smile about it. My next post I think I will update you all on my new routine. I am pretty excited to share and talk about it because it seems to really be working for me. I have lost just shy of 10 lbs in just three weeks and the drive I have in me is so much stronger this time around and it feels amazing (something I can thank a good positive friend for, for pushing me and giving me tough love and risking me being mad at her because she cares). I want to write down how I am making things work around my new job and schedule and hopefully do a check in every few months to see how I have changed and have updated the routine. I also have a really fun review in mind coming in the next month or so (I just ordered the product today so I am pretty excited about it), and no it is not a book this time! One more thing, I decided to start up a beauty blog for fun as well. I only have an intro post up right now, but next week I want to start off the page with a skin care routine post. If you are at all interested head on over to Positive Glamour and check it out :-). 

As always, thank you so much for reading. Honestly, this post ended up being a lot longer than I was expecting it to be so if you stuck around thank you! See you in the next post!